AUTHOR=Zhang Yanting , Zhang Xingcui , Cheng Anchun , Wang Mingshu , Yin Zhongqiong , Huang Juan , Jia Renyong 

TITLE=Apoptosis Triggered by ORF3 Proteins of the Circoviridae Family

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2020

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2020.609071

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2020.609071

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=Apoptosis, a form of the programmed cell death, is an indispensable defence mechanism regulating cellular homeostasis and is triggered by multiple stimuli. Because of the regulation of apoptosis in cellular homeostasis, viral proteins with apoptotic activity are particular foci of on antitumor therapy. One typical viral protein is apoptin, encoded by the open reading frame 3 (ORF3) in the Circoviridae chicken anemia virus (CAV), and has the ability to induce tumor-specific apoptosis. Proteins encoded by ORF3 in other circovirus species, such as porcine circovirus (PCV) and duck circovirus (DuCV), have also been reported to induce apoptosis, with subtle differences in apoptotic activity based on cell type. This article is aimed at reviewing the latest research advancements in understanding the ORF3 protein-mediated apoptosis mechanisms of Circoviridae from three perspectives: subcellular localization, interactions between the virus and host proteins, and participation in multiple apoptotic signalling pathways, providing a scientific basis for circovirus pathogenesis and a reference on its potential anticancer function.